Sunday, December 6, 2009

Afraid for Draven!

Sick babies have GOT to be the worst for parents! At not quite 2 years old, they cannot really tell you exactly what the problem is. So you have to play the guessing game with them trying to read the symptoms and figure out the best solution. Well, guessing didn’t last long for me. Both my babies were showing signs of Swine flu, so I rushed them both to the ER in Safford where I was staying with my family. I could just imagine all those children they claim were being taken by that illness and it scared the hell out of me! They were not tested, but were given the remedy and we were sent on our way. A little peace of mind for Mommy… until my youngest, Draven, wouldn’t stop throwing up his medicine. That’s bad! It’s not going to do any good if he can’t get it into his system!! So back to the ER we went, in search of a new solution. The second ER doctor mentioned chest X-rays and an IV, but sent us home with a nausea solution instead. This was great… almost. Draven was no longer throwing up his Swine flu meds BUT he still wasn’t getting it in his system because he refused to take it! And now it seemed that something new was developing. He became listless and lethargic, and completely unresponsive. He wouldn’t eat or drink anything. One night went by and he lost all his color and his fever spiked to 104 degrees. That was enough to send everyone in the house into panic mode; so back to the ER we went, on our third visit for the week!This time chest X-rays were ordered and lo and behold, Pneumonia was found! Oh My God! My heart sank. Especially when the doctor emphasized the size of it, then took me down to see the X-ray myself. My poor baby! I just wanted to break down and cry. But he needed mommy. The doctor immediately determined this illness was better left to the care of the Tuscon Medical Center (TMC) Pediatrics team and started the steps to getting him there.

He was dehydrated and needed an IV but several failed attempts at an IV in the ER left him a little tainted for anyone else dressed in scrubs! After 2 techs, they finally got the IV in his hand and he was not happy about it at all. Family and friends were calling like crazy, wanting to know what was up with our little man! My aunt Trish and cousin Brandie were right there with whatever I needed. A wonderful Jeremy spent the 10 grueling hours in the hospital ER with Draven and I. It was a long day, but a necessary wait in order to get a bed at TMC. The chopper arrived and took us both on an interesting and shaky nighttime flight to Tuscon. Draven was very fussy and unable to just fall asleep. He was irritated by his IV and actually managed to pull it out in the chopper. And wow can those little veins bleed!Finally, we made it to TMC, and the doctors don’t waste anytime there. They were checking him out within minutes of us being there. Tests were ordered, as well as another IV. Oh No! No more IVs please!!! Draven didn’t like being held down and poked. I knew this was going to be a problem and Mommy was already scared. SEVEN freakin’ nurses and 21 pokes later, Draven had an IV in his arm!!! Yes, those numbers are correct! Mommy wanted to cry every time he was poked in both his hands, arms, and even feet. I tried to tell him it was ok, but I knew better. I’ve been poked with needles before! My poor baby! As dehydrated and hungry as he was, and exhausted, he was so strong still and put up quite a fight for every one of the nurses! And boy does my boy have some lungs!A very worried Daddy flew in the next morning to face the recovery trek with his son. I am very glad he was there, and Draven was ecstatic to see Daddy! Draven is quite a trouper and I am happy to learn how resilient they are at such a young age. We were threatened with surgery, but the CT scan showed the fluid outside his right lung wasn’t as bad as initially thought. So all we could do now was wait and watch his fever and make sure it was taken care of right away when it started to spike. He was given antibiotics and breathing treatments every few hours. He started to eat, and was drinking little bits at a time. Slowly his color returned. Mommy and Daddy started feeling better and could relax a little, well as little as can be expected in a small, crowded pediatrics room recliner/fold-out bed. He was going to make it through this!After 5 days he was discharged. What a relief! We were so happy to be taking him home. So incredibly happy that he was well enough to be going home! We cannot thank that staff enough for taking such great care of our son! There were so many nurses, respiratory specialists, doctors, and other specialty techs just doing their amazing jobs. Everyone was just fantastic! Some of them even got Draven to laugh and play. It was an experience that I won’t soon be forgetting. I wasn’t familiar with pneumonia in babies. I was scared to death, as was Daddy. I was expecting the very worst! Draven is out of the woods now. He still has pneumonia but as long as we keep a great eye on him, his trek to recovery will be smooth from here on out. He is laughing, running, playing, and fighting with his big sister. And it’s awesome to see all of that! I love that boy!